Scheppach MBS1200 Bandsaw

Is the Scheppach MBS1200 Bandsaw worth buying?

Yes, the Scheppach MBS1200 Bandsaw is worth the £169 if your work is tube, profile and thin non-ferrous metal rather than planks. It cuts a 127 x 127 mm square at 90° and 127 x 41.5 mm at 45°, and 191 owners rate it 4.0. It earns its place as a portable metal saw that also bolts to its own table, and it is the wrong machine if your jobs are furniture and joinery.

The case for it is 1200W inside a 13.6 kg tool measuring 64.8 x 29.1 x 57.3 cm. That goes into the van and still behaves like a bench saw once it is mounted on the supplied table and support arm. Variable blade speed lets you slow the cut for stainless and open it up for aluminium and plastic.

What does 127 x 127 mm of cutting capacity actually mean?

127 mm is the number to hold on to, because that is the square of metal passing through at 90°, and it shrinks to 41.5 mm the moment the table tilts to 45°. At £169 that is 0.75 mm of cut height per pound. The £119 Scheppach HBS25 tops out at 80 mm, so the extra £50 buys 47 mm more cutting height, a 59 percent jump in capacity for a 42 percent higher price.

Blade speed is the second number. The band runs at 2.4 metres per second, which is 144 metres per minute, and 14 teeth per inch clear chips at that rate instead of clogging. Those fine teeth are what make a 1,141 mm blade work on pipe walls and profile, and they are also why the same band is slow in thick oak.

What comes in the box with the Scheppach MBS1200 Bandsaw?

The box holds the saw, its table and support arm, two saw bands, an LED work light and built-in clamping jaws for holding the workpiece. Nothing needs a battery, because a 1200W motor runs on 230V mains. That leaves one cable to manage rather than a pack and charger to buy.

It weighs 13.6 kg and stands 57.3 cm tall on a footprint of 64.8 x 29.1 cm, about the space of a bench grinder. Insulated handles and plastic grips make it manageable in one hand. Replacement bands have to be 1,141 mm long, so reorder the same length rather than a band from a larger bench saw.

Where does the Scheppach MBS1200 Bandsaw fall short?

Hand-held cutting is where it feels heaviest: 13.6 kg in one hand while the other steadies a length of pipe is a two-person job on anything long. Tilt the table to 45° and capacity falls from a 127 x 127 mm square to 127 x 41.5 mm, a drop of 85.5 mm, so mitres in large sections are out of reach.

The supplied 14 tpi band is a metal blade, so it will not resaw timber the way a bench saw with a 6 tpi band does. It takes the lowest owner score of the Scheppach machines at 4.0 from 191 ratings. It also mounts to the supplied table or works in the hand rather than standing on its own legs, so plan bench space for it.

Which bandsaw should you buy instead of the Scheppach MBS1200 Bandsaw?

Against the £119 Scheppach HBS25, this saw costs £50 more and gives 47 mm more cutting height, 127 mm against 80 mm, with 1200W against 350W. The HBS25 is the better buy for woodworking on a tight budget, at 14.8 kg with a 200 mm throat for running boards past the blade. Choose the MBS1200 when the material is metal.

Against the £398.53 DEWALT 20V MAX XR, the MBS1200 is £229.53 cheaper and cuts 41 mm more, 127 mm against 86 mm, but the DEWALT is cordless, brushless and 4.91 kg with 4.8 from 272 owners. That one is for cutting pipe on site where no socket exists, and it arrives without a battery or charger. This Scheppach is the one for a workshop with mains power and a bench.